What You Need To Know About White Cockroaches

Have you spotted a white roach in your residence or business of late? You may be a little nervous or even excited at the sight of this rare creature. While it could be your first time spotting such a bug, the fact is white cockroaches are not rare insects. These are normal cockroaches in their moulting phase.

The Causes Of White Cockroach Infestation

An albino cockroach gains its white appearance during moulting, whereby it loses both its pigmentation and outer shell. The outer shell and pigmentation are lost due to a chemical reaction in the bodies of roaches. The pigment eventually gets restored in a few hours. However, for some cockroaches, the restoration process may take longer. But they have to look for food, shelter, and water, which is when you get to spot them.

How To Identify A White Roach

• Size and Shape – Albino cockroaches have the same body size as brown and black cockroaches. However, the younger ones may be smaller because of the differing rates of growth of these creatures.
• Wings – A white german cockroach may or may not have wings depending on age.
• Colour – The roach is cream or white.

Where Are You Likely To Find An Albino Cockroach?

Cockroaches are vulnerable when moulting. Due to their vulnerability, they try as much as possible to enhance their safety as they moult. They do this best by hiding in all manner of nooks and crannies, including deep inside cabinets, cracks in walls, and even electronics. Watch out for white cockroaches in damp and dark parts of your house as well. These include basements, floor drains, and beneath porches. You are also likely to find a white german cockroach where there are food scraps. Like other pests that infest our homes, roaches can be irritating. On confirming that your home has white cockroaches, take immediate measures to eliminate them.

Reasons For Getting Rid Of A White Cockroach

• Disease Transmission – The albino cockroach is known to transmit diseases. Its feces, dead body, and shedding are allergens and can cause asthma or allergic reactions.
• Untidy House – White cockroach infestation makes your home seem dirty. Cockroaches also cause embarrassment, especially when you have guests.
• Food Poisoning – Albino cockroaches carry the bacterium salmonella that leads to food poisoning and typhoid.

How To Eradicate White Cockroaches

Here are some of the ways to deal with the albino cockroach menace once and for all:

1. Apply Insecticides

Insecticides are crucial in eliminating roach infestation. Note that a white cockroach spends just a few minutes in the open. Most of the time, it is in hiding. Therefore, focus on identifying its hideouts and treating them instead of applying the insecticide wherever. Insecticides are widely available in aerosol or liquid form. Others are made as edible dust or bait. Ensure you read the instructions provided for proper use. Do not forget to remove all the utensils before the treatment to avoid contamination.

2. Use Sprays

When spraying, focus more on the areas albino cockroaches hide. Do spray areas with fecal spots or other signs of these critters. Do not spray countertops, floors, and walls because it will not be effective.

3. Exterminate A White Roach With Dust

Apply powder or dust such as diatomaceous earth and boric acid on surfaces where roaches frequent. A white roach dies after it crawls over an area treated with such stuff.

4. Baits

Baiting is the most effective way to exterminate an albino roach fast. Typically, baits contain a food attractant that lures roaches. When they eat the bait, they crawl away and die within a few minutes. Those not directly exposed also die when they ingest the toxicant expelled in the feces and sputum of those that ate the bait. You can either buy the bait or make one yourself. A DIY bait is made by sprinkling insecticide on food scraps and placing them strategically where roaches are common.

5. Repel White German Cockroaches Using Citrus

Citrus does an excellent job of repelling roaches. The lemon smell deters the bugs from infesting your house. Add a small amount of lemon oil to the water you use to mop the floor. The scent will fend off every white cockroach. Using citrus is an affordable yet effective way to get the job done.

6. Essential Oils

Essential oils are not only super-effective but also non-toxic. They offer a natural alternative to getting rid of white cockroaches. In this case, use lemongrass oil or peppermint oil. Mix the oil with a bit of water, then spray the mixture on all areas a white roach could be present.

7. Baking Soda

Baking soda is another fast and easy way to get rid of an albino cockroach. To make it work, get some onions and sprinkle baking soda on them. Put the resulting mix where you have seen cockroach activity before. The roaches will come out to eat the onions, in turn consuming the baking soda, which makes them bloat, killing them instantly.

8. Hire An Albino Cockroach Removal Service

For better white cockroach eradication, hire a professional pest control service. Experts are good at what they do and will help you remove the current roach infestation and prevent future re-infestation. That is a guarantee because they know how to identify and eliminate infestations effectively and safely.